Too often, we see some level of government forcing citizens to do this or that because they can stir up hatred between people which allows that fraction of government to divide and conquer more votes. Both in the west and east, we have been told by the news media that large fractions of separatists are telling their people how badly Canada has served their province. At the same time, it seems most of the oil transportation money has been spent trying to get western oil to a market somewhere, and that a federal priority has been to try to make Canadian oil “cleaner”, so it will be more desirable for foreign (and Canadian) buyers.
Many years ago, the last big trip that my mother went on was to the World Expo in Vancouver. Mom was very surprised at the signs, not just in English but in 10 other languages written in the same size, on the same signpost. Canada wanted every tourist who came to feel welcome and make it easier to buy something to take home and help the B.C. economy. During my more recent trips to B.C., I noticed those multilingual signs are still very visible everywhere people might visit or buy something. On several occasions, we saw First Nations artists perform traditional dances and share their culture and art.
In my own province I am reminded of the millions of very necessary dollars spent each year to keep the OQLF police harassing store owners to keep the English language hidden away from visitors and may-be shoppers. Where there might be the occasional sign with French and English, French customers are humiliated by a sign that insinuates that they have much poorer eyesight than the English.
When Quebec began to cut back the number of non-francophone students studying in the province, other provinces quickly stepped up and said, “there is lots of room for university students in our province.” They knew that extra education and foreign dollars invested in their province would be an asset.
I was never a world traveller for vacation’s sake. Every time that I did visit another country, I tried to visit a few farms and talk to some other real farmers. Once they found out that I came from Canada, I never got a chance to buy another round. They didn’t care if I was French or English or what province I lived in. Being Canadian was my ticket to being included. When we visited Ireland, where the Protestants and Catholics had fought for many years, the only time that I noticed talk about the Troubles was when a by-election was close and both sides tried to stir up hostility between the two. Both sides had forgotten about that dispute and were not going to go down that rabbit hole again. Over my short lifetime, I have worked with people from all sorts of backgrounds. I have friends that practice one of dozens of different religions, have a skin color that’s not like mine, and choose their politics differently. But good people are good people. Our ancestors quickly learned how to make friends and work together. Those who couldn’t have moved on.
Some cows (and people) always think that the grass looks greener on the other side, but maybe someone watered the grass or invested in a little more fertilizer there. Always meet a stranger as a friend that you haven’t met yet. Most are. Some of the people from the poorest parts of the world are the best people. Have you visited every province in Canada yet? Every province should proudly display its own culture and arts. Every province in Canada has its own culture that has been hidden away from other areas. Our news media are great at finding dirty water on a reserve, a huge oil spill off the west coast, or a dirty tar pond in Nova Scotia. It should not be left to Jonny Harris to find all the bright spots in Canada. Before we buy a car, we usually kick the tires of a few others. Before we abandon our country, we should take a real good look around. Then, let the people choose.
Chris Judd is a farmer in Clarendon on land that has been in his family for generations.
